Cutting out 3am feed for 9mo

[jaz2]

We are desperately trying to get DS to sleep through (at least from 10.30pm - 6am).

At the moment I am BF him at 7.30pm (changing this last BF to formula next week), then he wakes at 10.30pm for a feed (tho it is still a sort of dream feed) - he takes 8floz. Then he wakes anytime between 2am and 3am for a feed, which we have recently changed from BF to formula (4floz). Then he is not hungry again until 7.45am.

In addition, most nights he wakes at least one more time and he has to be cuddled to sleep.

We are considering controlled crying, but I am confused what to do about this middle of the night feed. Surely he shouldn't need it at his age?

he shouldnt need feed through the night at this age, it could be more about habit than hunger. Try giving him some weetabix/ready brek at suppertime and see if it makes him go longer. Failing that i think controlled crying is the only option. It will only take a few nights. But i'd try feeding him up first!!

I'd second filling him up with solids, not just at bed time but through the day, plus plenty of milk. My 8mo was a 3 or 4 times a night waker until last week when I made a real effort to get 3 decent meals into him. He's now going 6pm - 12am, having a 15min bf then sleeping until 6/7am.

The alternative would be to drop the dreamfeed for a couple of nights and see if that makes a difference. It might change his sleeping pattern so he wakes earlier than 3am. If he does and becomes accustomed to that pattern you could introduce the dreamfeed again and he may well have dropped the 3am habit.

Since he is still waking despite 'dream feed' why not miss it out and see what happens? I personally do not think it is hunger rather than habit. 4oz during the night is not hunger. Have you tried reducingthe amount or just giving a cuddle? Is he eating solds well duing the day?

This all begs the question...what is a "decent meal" for a 9mo? I really don't know. An example of his supper (30 mins before bedtime) is half small pot of Hipp baby food, same again of fruit puree and then a fromage frais or fresh fruit. Am I starving him? This is the time when he eats the most...breakfasts and lunches are smaller. If we try to get him to eat any more he gets very tearful. Tho he does eat more at nursery (2 days a week) - but this has no impact on his sleeping.

We'll give it a go dropping the dreamfeed...tho I suspect he will just howl until we give in! But we won't know until we try.

He's got his 8 month check this week (Lambeth running gloriously late), and I would ask the HV, but on past experience they are good as useless, MN much better!

Sounds like a good supper. Maybe weetabix with mashed banana may be more filling and long lasting for through the night.

Glad you don't think I'm starving him!

Banana is unfortunately off the cards as he has bad constipation - hence filling him with apple & apricot/prunes etc. He'll eat Shreddies for breakfast (was eating Weetabix but suddenly decided he didn't like mush - even tho he hasn't any teeth!). I could try it for supper. But then Annabel Karmel etc seem to imply you should give them proper "supper type" foods! Umm...

It's all SO complicated! Let's hope controlled crying will only require a few nights of pain. I worry it'll turn a happy little chappie into a traumatised infant.

At 9 months my children would have a breakfast, lunch would be a savoury and sweet and teatime, savoury and sweet. I never gave a supper. They had their teatime meal, bath breastfeed and bed. At nine months they ate what we did minus the salt. Also had breastfeeds.

Having food just before bed can make a baby thirsty so perhaps he is waking for a drink? I can only share my own experience - I know we all do things differently.

It's all useful suggestions, as you say Mears, we all do it differently and all baboes have their foibles! It's so useful knowing what other people do - I try to have the conversation with NCT friends, but as I have learnt since having DS, one never manages to get further than half way thru a conversation before an interuption derails things!

It might be a bit much trying to lose the 10.30 feed and 3am feed at once. My suggestion would be continue with the 10.30 feed and offer water and cuddles at 3am. Once you've managed to lose the 3am feed, however you achieve that, then work on the 10.30 feed. Of course you could always lose the 10.30pm feed and continue the 3am feed for a bit if you prefer it that way round. I did the water and cuddles trick with me DD's when I was going back to work when they were 6 months old and they both gave up after a couple of nights, realising that water wasn't worth waking up for! For DD2 I also had to wean the 3am cuddles but that's another story! HTH